Sarytogan Graphite Ltd (ASX:SGA) has set the drill bit spinning at its Kenesar Graphite Project in northern Kazakhstan, where it’s looking to expand its graphite footprint in an iconic minerals district.
The inaugural 4,000-metre campaign is targeting electromagnetic (EM) anomalies under shallow cover at the exploration play, which SGA brought into the fold only four months ago.
Targeting complementary discovery
Sarytogan managing director Sean Gregory said the campaign marked an exciting time for the company, particularly as it developed its namesake graphite asset.
“This target has been carefully built from the ground up by Sarytogan geologists with reference to the regional geology and the compelling EM anomalies recently surveyed,” he explained.
“The program will test the hypothesis of graphitic schist under shallow cover.
“If a discovery of this type could be made, it would be highly complementary to the premium micro-crystalline graphite at our flagship Sarytogan Graphite Project, where the metallurgical test-work and pre-feasibility study are progressing as a priority.”
Next up
SGA will use shallow, low-cost drilling to test beneath thin dirt and sand cover at Kenesar, sampling the graphitic schist basement rocks identified with a recent time domain EM survey.
At the same time, the company is actively progressing a pre-feasibility study for its namesake project, where it’s already defined a mineral resource estimate of 229 million tonnes at 28.9% graphite.
"Our in-country team’s geological exploration skills and detailed knowledge of the Kazakh regulatory framework are being applied to expand our portfolio of battery metal projects in Kazakhstan,” Gregory said in June.